


Demon Marks

by Astoria Gracewell (arh581958)



Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alec is working out again, Confused!Max, Flustered!Alec, Hickeys, M/M, Markings, S01E06, Sassy!Izzy, Shocked!Jace, TV Episode, Yoga, episode-related, scratches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-04
Updated: 2016-03-04
Packaged: 2018-05-24 16:04:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6159018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arh581958/pseuds/Astoria%20Gracewell
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are somethings underneath of Alec's clothes. Let's just say that Magnus has a thing for marking his Shadowhunter.</p><p>(Or: What if Alec stayed the night they got a drink?)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Demon Marks

**Author's Note:**

> Prompted by [marking-stars](http://marking-stars.tumblr.com/) on [tumblr](http://arh581958.tumblr.com/post/140435665770/got-a-little-bit-of-a-thing-for-marking). Sorry if it took a bit longer! I was kind of in a slump. Well, I tried my best. I hope you like it! 
> 
> This is intended to be the morning after Alec and Magnus share a drink in the apartment. In an alternative universe where shy!Alec doesn't back away, at least. 
> 
> Also, I wanted Max here because I love him.
> 
> Beta-Read by the awesome Nerdling_Queen

Alec had been in the training room all morning, dressed in the same black shirt he wore last night and the same shirt he came back wearing this morning. He managed to evade the Institute’s security protocols primarily because he was one of the people who created them, slipping into the dark pre-dawn space to be left alone with his thoughts. 

_ Boom. Boom. Boom.  _ His firsts hit the sturdy leather punching bag over and over again. 

Yesterday, he’d gone and done it—he had visited the High Warlock of Brooklyn in his old studio apartment, they shared drink and he miserably failed to keep his head level, then the inevitable happened. While Magnus had not been able to capture his lips, it did not stop the warlock from putting those lips to better use somewhere else. 

_ Clang _

The locks disengaged and sound of the glass pane doors swinging open echoed with a soft hiss. Footsteps approached, heels stomped across the wooden area while Alec remained in the matted area. It could be anyone, with the multitude of Shadowhunters staying the NYC, there was no need to be anxious. 

“Alec?” the tender voice of Max Lightwood brought him out of his stupor. Alec stopped, hand mid-way towards a swing intended for the bag, and froze. “Alec, is that you?” The younger Lightwood asked again, voice a little louder but oddly not drenched with sleep. 

Resigned to the fact that his cover was blown, Alec huffed out a sigh and turned around. 

“Yes, Max, it’s me.” It only took a moment for him to see his little brother’s strange mix of apparel; it can only be surmised as  _ workout _ gear inside his head; trainers, sweatpants, and a shirt. “What are you doing here?” He asked back, sounding gruffer than he intended. 

Max flinched but did not hesitate to answer. “I go here sometimes.” 

“You’re not yet supposed to be in here. You haven’t even had your first rune yet.”

“I know that,” Max replied irritably, “But I’m not like you or Izzy or Jace. Especially not like mom or dad or Hodge. I’m…  _ little _ .” Something in his tone made Alec realize that Max was not simply referring to his physical size. A sharp twinge of guilt laced through him. 

“Max…” Alec cooed, folding down on one knee so he can be at level with his brother’s eyes, “Is that what you think you are? The weakest one in the family?” 

Very slowly, Max nodded. 

“So you sneak into the training room while everybody’s still asleep? So you can what? Get a head start?” Alec coaxed gently. His hand came to rest on Max’ head, solid and firm over the raven tresses. It felt like just yesterday that this kid was a tiny bundle in his mother’s arms.

“I don’t… I don’t want to fall behind,” the younger confessed. “I want to be strong like you and Izzy and Jace.” 

“Aww, Max, that’s not… we don’t expect you to…” But the pleading puppy-dog eyes which Max gave him made him completely clam up. He knew he was a lost cause to those pale grey eyes. “Fine, fine, I’ll help you train. But only if you promise to only do the hard stuff when someone is here to supervise, okay? It can be either one of us three.”

“No!” Max vehemently shook his head with a furious blush, “Not Jace. He’s going to tease me.”

The comment made Alec snort, “Alright, alright, no Jace, then.” He cracked his sore joins before straightening up. “How about we work on some core muscles?” 

Together, Alec and Max end up doing a series of warm-up yoga poses from plank to push-plank to upward-plank to bow to upward-bow to upward-facing-two-feet-staff pose. Then, when they were dripping in sweat after a full-hour of stretching, Alec moved them onto headstands. 

“Alec,” Max whined as he struggled to breathe through his nose, “I—I can’t do this. ‘Is to hard!”

“You can do it, Max. Get the strength from your core.” Alec instructed with a bit of a huff. He was a firm believer of leading by example and, thus, he was currently working his legs up to form a head-and-elbow triangular headstand. “See? It’s all about balance.”

Max, seeing as he was less in shape than his older brother, tumbled out of the position with a thud. He managed to fall properly into a roll to avoid any spinal or head damage. He crouched into a frog-like position to stare at his towering older brother perfectly balanced on his arms. Alec’s shirt clung to his body like second skin but some parts of the shirt were falling down. 

“OH MY GOD.” Isabelle’s voice cut through the fog of exertion. “Alec! There’s something on your back!” In a snap, she stomped into the room with Jace a few paces behind her. 

“Alec, bro, what happened to you? Is that from yesterday? We’ve got to get those scratches checked out!” Jace said in a panic. “They’re all over your back! Like claw marks!”

“Alec?” Max squeaked as Isabelle and Jace rushed passed him. “What’s wrong? What’s happened to Alec?” 

Alec could barely let out a yelp as two-thirds of their trio manhandle his long frame onto the mat and promptly remove his shirt. He does not even have time to react as they release twin exclaims of horror. 

Shit. Shit. Shit. 

By the angel, he was in so much trouble. 

“I can explain,” he whispered quietly, eyes lowered to avoid their prying eyes. He hissed when one of Isabelle’s fingers brushed against the scratches on his back. He curled defensively onto himself, like a small ball, which was awkward with his height and build. 

“Tell me,” Jace demanded, shuffling in front of Alec and planting two firm hands on his shoulder, “What happened? Which demon did this to you?” His eyes shone like molten gold, angelic in their intensity and it was currently all directed at Alec. 

There once were days when Alec would have welcomed such an invasive stare from his parabatai. However, now he yearned for a different set of eyes to peer into his soul. 

“It’s nothing. I’m fine.” 

“The hell you are!” Jace barked in fury. 

“Jace! Language!” Isabelle chided, hands coming to cover Max’s ears. “Max is here! Watch what you say!” 

“Alec, tell me… Which. Demon. Did. This?” Jace’s commanded, voice laced with steel. It was one of the few times that he allowed his emotions to fully be exposed—his one and only weak spot was his family and Alec dared not cross that line. 

“I—I—I said I can explain,” Alec said calmly. “Let me go and I will.” It was only when Jace finally released his hold that Alec’s shock of discovery had worn off. He felt his cheeks heat at the occasion and he could not be any more thankful that none of them had been clever enough to open the lights. He hoped that the shadows would help hide his embarrassment. 

“It’s not… it wasn’t technically… it’s….” His voice was refusing to cooperate. How in angel’s name would he be able to tell them that he spend  _ all night _ back in Brooklyn? It would blow his deepest and darkest secret out in the open. It would ruin his friendship with Jace and have their parabatai connection broken. It could mean that he was about to lose everything. 

“Than what?!” came Jace’s outburst. 

“Who,” Alec corrected without thinking, “It’s not what… it’s who.” 

“Oh,” came Isabelle’s low whisper. Alec shot her a glance from the corner of his eye. She merely responded with a cocking grin and a flick of her eyebrows, fully understanding the situation. She managed to say  _ I knew that there was something going on between you and Magnus _ with a single twitch on the side of her lips. 

Alec immediately felt the flush going down his neck. 

His sister was  _ not _ going to forget this anytime soon. She’d be hankering him for details the next time they had a spare moment together. 

Giving up, he sent her a  _ help me _ look. 

“Jace,” Isabelle cut in, planting a hand on Jace’s shoulder. “I think demon in the sack in more appropriate for our little Alec.” To Max, she leaned down and whispered, “I’m sorry, Maxy, I’ve got cover your ears. It’s just a little grown-up talk.” 

“WHAT?!” Alec burst in time with Jace. 

“Isabelle!” Alec shouted, scandalized. He stood up and glared at her. He failed to realize that his shirt still revealed a good portion of his lower abs.  _ I thought you were on my side! Why did you have to say that?!  _

_ I am, so stop hiding who you are! _ Her eyes shot back at him. 

“Jace, no, it’s nothing… I can’t explain… it’s…” 

Jace was agape. “Alec…” he said with utmost seriousness, “Did. You. Get. Laid?” 

“Excuse me?” Alec cried out in embarrassment and shame. Part of him was screaming at the chance to come clean, to let it all out there, to finally be himself. But still, a bigger part of him was so scared that he wanted to crawl back to Brooklyn and forget this whole day never happened. 

Well. Shit. That was a thought. 

“What are you… what are you talking about?” 

“You’ve got…” Jace stammered, face pale and looking like he was about to hurl, “… uhm,  _ hickeys _ .” He said for the lack of a better word, pointing distractedly towards Alec’s hip. Alec followed Jace’s fingers and, yes, there it was a large purple bruise in the shape of Magnus’ mouth was right over his hip bone. 

“This isn’t…what it looks like…” Alec was red a cherry tomato and hot like a chili pepper on the inside-out. He felt his whole face was burning, so was his ears, and the back of his neck. It felt a billion times hotter in the room even if he was breaking out in a cold sweat. 

“Alec—“ 

“—Don’t” he cut of Jace before the blond could speak, “I’m going up to my room for a shower.” He declared, head held high, stomping out of the room with a bit more force and a tad bit faster than completely necessary, leaving Jace, Isabelle, and Max in the training room. 

“Izzy?” Max shook her hands from where she held him, “Jace doesn’t look so good.” 

Isabelle giggled at the sight. “Yeah, Max, he doesn’t does, he? Why don’t you go wake up a nurse so she can look over him?” 

“Okay.” Max said with a nod, “Is he going to be alright?” 

“Yes, Max, Jace is just in  _ shock _ .” 

“I think I’m gonna be sick.” Jace moaned. 

**Author's Note:**

> If you have a prompt or an idea, you can [**INSPIRE ME**](http://arh581958.tumblr.com/submit) on tumblr.


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